Statistical Literacy at School: Growth and Goals(Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning Series)

About the Book

This book reveals the development of students' understanding of statistical literacy. It provides a way to "see" student thinking and gives readers a deeper sense of how students think about important statistical topics. Intended as a complement to curriculum documents and textbook series, it is consistent with the current principles and standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

The term "statistical literacy" is used to emphasize that the purpose of the school curriculum should not be to turn out statisticians but to prepare statistically literate school graduates who are prepared to participate in social decision making. Based on ten years of research--with reference to other significant research as appropriate--the book looks at students' thinking in relation to tasks based on sampling, graphical representations, averages, chance, beginning inference, and variation, which are essential to later work in formal statistics. For those students who do not proceed to formal study, as well as those who do, these concepts provide a basis for decision making or questioning when presented with claims based on data in societal settings.

Statistical Literacy at School: Growth and Goals:
*establishes an overall framework for statistical literacy in terms of both the links to specific school curricula and the wider appreciation of contexts within which chance and data-handling ideas are applied;
*demonstrates, within this framework, that there are many connections among specific ideas and constructs;
*provides tasks, adaptable for classroom or assessment use, that are appropriate for the goals of statistical literacy;
*presents extensive examples of student performance on the tasks, illustrating hierarchies of achievement, to assist in monitoring gains and meeting the goals of statistical literacy; and
*includes a summary of analysis of survey data that suggests a developmental hierarchy for students over the years of schooling with respect to the goal of statistical literacy.

Statistical Literacy at School: Growth and Goals is directed to researchers, curriculum developers, professionals, and students in mathematics education as well those across the curriculum who are interested in students' cognitive development within the field; to teachers who want to focus on the concepts involved in statistical literacy without the use of formal statistical techniques; and to statisticians who are interested in the development of student understanding before students are exposed to the formal study of statistics.

Table of Contents:

Contents: Preface. Purpose and Foundations. Sampling: A Good Start. Graphs: How Best to Represent the Data. Average: What Does It Tell Us? Chance: Precursor to Probability. Beginning Inference: Supporting a Conclusion. Variation: The Underlying Phenomenon. Statistical Literacy: A Global Goal.

Review :
"Is film theory a "rational" discourse? Warren Buckland provides both a reconstruction and a commentary of some of the most relevant contributions on film, in an attempt to bring to the foreground the "whys" and the "hows" that move these discourses. In the eyes of an inflexible - even if passionate - reviewer, we discover a controversial landscape, and we challenge the "ideas of cinema" that are still predominant in our discipline." Francesco Casetti, Yale University, USA "A patient and meticulous look at some of the most important contributions in contemporary film theory, "Rational Reconstructions" is an essential read for everyone with a stake in film studies and theory today. With an impressive breadth of scholarship, and minute attention to implicit and explicit arguments, Buckland traces the basic problems that various theories have sought to resolve while expertly scouting the emergence and use of concepts. In the process, he offers us tools with which to evaluate film theoretical concepts on their own ground giving his project a unique meta-critical value. No other book has so effectively sythesized nor offered such close readings of the theoretical material discussed here. Moreover, Buckland's talent for clear and systematic exposition makes his study accessible and pleasurable without in any way depriving it of its acumen. All students of film theory will be reading this for years." Martin Lefebvre, Concordia University, Canada "Warren Buckland offers a bracing review of what are by now some of the classic texts of film theory. Essentially a reconstruction of the intellectual contexts within which key concepts of film theory were developed, Buckland subjects these concepts to rigorous logical and historical analysis, revealing their origins in theoretical debates of the time, and evaluating their significance for the present. This is an invaluable contribution to the ongoing renewal of the field of film theory." Marc Furstenau, Carleton University, Canada